February 6, 2007 – The Dr Gilles Julien, like many young Montrealers, has something to celebrate. The Ministry of Health will fund a pilot project aimed at preventing neglect of disadvantaged children in Montreal.
This project will be led by the Foundation for the Promotion of Social Paediatrics of Dr Gilles Julien, together with the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. The foundation of Dr Julien will receive a total of $ 750,000 over a three-year period.
This amount will mainly be used to finance a project of the Assistance enfants en difficulty (AED) organization to prevent neglect of children in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. The organization will also be able to establish longer-term links with some resources in the neighborhood, including Respit-Providence, which offers short-term accommodation for children from families in difficulty. Set up by Dr Gilles Julien1, the AED is an intervention organization for children 12 and under in difficulty.
With this grant, the Ministry officially recognizes social pediatrics, an approach defended by Dr.r Gilles Julien in Quebec for several years. This is “a comprehensive health approach centered on the child, based on prevention and education for families in high-risk environments”2. Interventions in social pediatrics focus on bringing children and their parents closer together and interacting with them. They are based in particular on the use of the resources of family, school, community and institutional networks already in place.2.
According to the Dr Gilles Julien, social pediatrics can effectively contribute to reducing cases of neglect in children. It is among other things to promote this approach that he created his foundation two years ago. Other projects led by Dr Gilles Julien, awaiting funding, could soon see the light of day.
Claudia Morissette – HealthPassport.net
1. For more information, visit www.aed-hm.org [consulté le 6 février 2007]
2. Information taken from the document www.pediatriesociale.org [consulté le 6 février 2007]
